ETA 'Cessation' Welcomed In North

Both Sinn Fein and NI-based supporters of the Basque people in Spain have welcomed news that 'the war is over' with an end to the long-running armed terrorist campaign by ETA.

Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA) has called an indefinite cessation to its terror campaign, with the Belfast Basque Solidarity Campaign's Daithí Ó Cinnéide, commenting: "This is a historic announcement by ETA [and] is one for which the Spanish and French governments have been calling for as a condition for moving the peace process forward.

"The ball is now in firmly in their court following this cessation," he claimed.

"What we must see in the near future is both governments grasping this historic opportunity to reach a just and lasting solution through this long conflict.

"Certainly we would like to see the Spanish government in particular not imposing any preconditions on entering into a process of open and inclusive dialogue," he said also asking for confidence building measures such as the immediate release of the political leadership of Batasuna - an outlawed Basque nationalist political party - that has been included in the European Union's list of terrorist organisations.

"We are calling on Irish supporters to strengthen their solidarity efforts in the coming weeks and months and show whatever measure of support they can in this new period with many challenges ahead."

In their statement, ETA has already called on the Spanish and French governments to respond with "a process of direct dialogue".

This will bring an end a campaign of violence, which has lasted more than 40 years and killed more than 800 people.

The Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams has also said he welcomes the decision by the Basque separatists to call a "definitive cessation" to its armed campaign.

"I very much welcome the decisive and the positive terms of the response from ETA," said Mr Adams.

He said there was a range of confidence-building measures that could be used to deal with the many consequences or the symptoms of the conflict.

"Dialogue is essential, it is what opens up all the doors, and then all of these matters - victims, demilitarisation, prisoners, the rights of political parties, the rights of citizens to vote for political parties of their choice, reconciliation - all of these issues need to be on the agenda for inclusive discussions," he said.

At its height, the ETA campaign killed more than 100 people in a single year.

On Monday, the former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams, former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and other delegates to a conference on the conflict had urged the armed separatist group to renounce violence.

This was on foot of ETA declaring a permanent ceasefire in January, but not renouncing armed struggle as a tool for achieving an independent Basque state.

Just five days ago, the delegates said ETA also should request dialogue with the governments of Spain and France on the consequences of the conflict and give up the violent campaign for good.

(BMcC/GK)